The Nature of the Mind

Paper Summary:

The mind and the brain are not synonymous. The brain is a biological organ that can be located physically within the body. The mind, on the other hand, is a philosophical concept used to identify the convergence of memory, thought and ideas that constitutes the basis of a given individual's personality. This paper shows that despite centuries of philosophical analyzes attempting to prove that the mind exists in a localized part of the brain, no philosopher or neuroscientist can establish the mind as anything other than a philosophical concept. The paper looks at views of specialists in the field such as Prof. Thomas Szasz and philosopher Rene Descartes.

From the Paper:

"Descartes' theories first introduced the dilemma of a metaphysical split between mind/body interaction. He argued that the rational soul, an entity distinct from the body that made contact with the body at the pineal gland, might or might not become aware of the differential outflow of animal spirits brought about through the rearrangement of the interfibrillar spaces (Wozniak, Online). However, when such awareness did occur, conscious sensation resulted in the mind. On the other hand, the soul might itself initiate a differential outflow of animal spirits thereby moving the body voluntarily. Thus, mind could also affect body (Wozniak, Online). Thus, Descartes argued that mind, while it might live in the brain, was a non-material thing entirely separate from the physical tissues found inside the head (Lemonick, 44)."

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